Disclaimer: Not Mine. I just own the idea for the plot and the Other Character(s), otherwise everything else belongs to JK Rowling and the people behind the Harry Potter movies.
Summary: He was on the run and needed someone to elude the people after him. She was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
PhoenixRae's Note: This is a completely AU story. So forget what you read in the third, fourth & fifth book. None of those events happened -- yet. winks Well, some of the events in the third & fourth book were used, but as for the events in book 5...well, it's AU so I might get to book 5 later on. grins So sit back, relax, enjoy and read on. Comment, criticize, review. I wanna read what you think of this first venture of mine at writing a story about this character and writing an AU fic.
III. Chances
A large brown barn owl hooted from its perch on a branch that snaked into the cave's entrance. Its large, round glowing eyes scanning the dimly lit cave for its occupant. It continued to hoot until a rustling of fabric came from the back of the cave.
It was pitch black both inside and outside the cave, making it hard for the two human occupants to see. The owl didn't stop hooting. It was carrying an urgent message and must be relieved off its burden at once. When no one approached the owl it started to hoot louder.
"Damn silly bird. Shut up!" bellowed an angry Sirius Black. Pushing his hair off his face, he felt for a twig or a broken branch near his makeshift bed to light up. When he felt none he swore under his breath. He pushed himself off the ground and hunted for something to use. He was still busy searching when he heard his captive whispered "Lumos!" and the pitch black cave was covered in light.
Sirius did a one-eighty turn and stared at the woman holding up her wand, the tip alight with light. In the chaos that ensued earlier in the day it slipped his mind that the witch he kidnapped might be armed. He wasn't powerful enough to go against an armed witch or wizard when he was wandless.
"You had your wand all this time?" he looked at the bedraggled young woman seated on the far corner of the cave, her legs pulled up against her chest and her chin resting atop her knees.
"Yes," the young witch nodded. "See to the owl so it will stop making a racket." She turned her gaze away, not wanting to meet her captor's questioning glare.
Sirius wanted to question her further; to ask her why she hadn't used her wand until now. He was furious with himself from failing to search his hostage soon after they arrived at the cave. The owl's incessant hooting started to annoy Sirius; that annoyance adding fuel to his fury for being blindsided by the unexpected turn of events during his visit at Hogsmeade.
"Shut up!" he bellowed at the owl, his gaze still fixed on the hunched form of the woman seated on the corner holding her lit wand.
"You know it won't stop unless you relieve it off its burden," she reminded him matter-of-factly. "The owl ran an errand from whomever you are in contact with and it wants you to take whatever it brought over from it."
"The bloody owl can wait," he snapped.
"It's annoying me, and I'm pretty sure it's annoying that pet of yours as well," she motioned her head at the Hippogriff whose piercing eyes were glaring a hole right through the source of the racket echoing inside the cave.
Sirius glanced at Buckbeak. True enough the Hippogriff was starting to get a wee bit vexed by the barn owl's racket. He wanted to ignore the owl and confront his hostage right then and there, but he knew if he let the owl hoot any longer, Buckbeak would have the annoying creature for a midnight snack. With the fate of the barn owl in his hands, Sirius headed for the owl but at the last minute made a detour and went for his captive instead.
He saw her dark brown eyes widen in fear of his approach. She straightened her back and pressed herself as far into the cave wall as possible. "What?"
Sirius held out his hand and demanded, "Come with me."
"What? You're only going to check on the owl's errand. Why do you need me to go with you?"
"Because I don't trust you," he deadpanned. "Now get up and come with me," he repeated his command once again.
"The light of my wand is strong enough to reach the entrance of this cave, you don't need me there," she insisted.
"I know that," he agreed, "But I still don't trust you especially now that you have a wand," his gaze dropped to the piece of wood in the woman's hand then looked back at her. "Now get up or I'll make you get up!" he barked.
The woman jumped at his tone of voice. She knew he meant business and wouldn't hesitate to carry on with his threat.
Sirius got the woman to comply to his demand. He nudged her in front of him and walked behind her. They reached the impatient barn owl and Sirius instructed his hostage to grab the rolled up parchment from its thrust leg. The woman was reluctant, but Sirius prodded her back until she did. As soon as the owl was free of its burden it flew out of the cave, leaving the young woman alone once again with her captor and his scary-looking pet.
"Here," she handed the parchment to him over her shoulder.
Sirius snatched the parchment from her and unrolled it. He scanned through the letter and read the sender's name. His hand snaked up from his side and caught the woman's arm when she made a move to walk away from him and spun her around to face him. Lifting his gaze from the piece of parchment, he met the woman's terrified gaze and asked, "Where do you think you're going?"
"Where do you think I'm going?" she countered.
Sirius raised an eyebrow. He was impressed at her bravado. He could feel her whole body trembling where he held her, and yet her spirit wouldn't waver. She was ready to battle him head-on every step she could.
"Stay," he commanded.
"Je ne suis pas un chien cela tu pouvois ordre, monsieur," she told him haughtily, slipping into her native tongue without her realizing it.
Sirius raised an eyebrow, impressed. "So that's what that accent was," he mumbled, a slow grin appearing underneath his thick mat of beard and moustache.
"What are you talking about?" she frowned speaking in English once again.
Sirius ignored her question, instead he went on as if she hadn't spoken a thing at all. "I knew something was amiss when I heard you speak. Your English is very good, but the accent...I knew for certain it wasn't Scottish or Irish. And certainly English wasn't your first language and yet...never mind," he shook his head and dismissed now the befuddled young woman.
"What in bloody hell are you talking about?" she demanded when he ignored her and concentrated on the letter in his hand.
"Hm?" he sounded disinterested with her now, but his grip on her arm hadn't loosened. She tried to wrestle her arm free from his grip, but Sirius held on to her tightly. "Stay," he repeated and turned his attention back to the letter in his hand.
"Oh pour l'amour de Dieu!" the young witch muttered under her breath.
Sirius heard her, his smirk widening but he kept his gaze averted from the woman. He read the letter he received intently. It only took him a full two minutes to finish Harry's, his godson, frantic letter berating him on acting so foolishly. And also warned him of what was happening concerning the events of this afternoon at Hogsmeade. Folding the letter haphazardly with one hand, Sirius slipped it in his pants pocket then turned to his captive.
"Now, madamoiselle, put out your wand and surrender it to me," he commanded her coolly.
"What?" the young woman's face ashen. "Y-you can't take my wand from me!" Panic-stricken she pulled her wand hand back and hastily muttered, "Nox!" The light at he tip of her wand disappeared, blanketing them once more in darkness. Sirius made a mistake of loosening his grip on her arm. She quickly slipped away from his grasp and made a run for the exit, but her reflexes weren't fast enough and Sirius caught her around the waist before she can even take another step.
"No!" the woman screamed a toe-curling scream and clawed her fingernails on her captor's arms around her waist. "Let me go! Let me go!"
"Ow! Stop clawing my arm!" snapped Sirius, his head pulled back to avoid being hit by the back of the woman's head.
"Let me go and I'll make sure you still have an arm left by sunup," the feisty woman snarled, digging her fingernails into the exposed skin of Sirius's arm.
"No way, lady," Sirius chuckled. "Can't risk letting you go now that you know where I am hiding."
"I won't tell anyone where to find you if that's what you want! I swear I won't!" she insisted while still struggling to be free off his arm around her waist.
"Ha, and pigs will fly," Sirius grunted, doing his best to keep his balance while trying to stop the woman from pushing them both off balance. "Now...stop...fighting...and...hand...over...that...wand!"
"Never!" the woman replied forcefully and raised her arm as high as it can go and swung it back quickly, jabbing her elbow on her captor's inside ribcage.
Sirius buckled at the unexpected hit. Her aim was perfect and it only served the purpose the woman intended. His grip around her waist loosened, enough for her to slip away from his grasp. The woman made a mad dash for the exit, her hand clutched tightly in her hand as she thought of nothing but her impending freedom. She was almost to the cave's mouth when a loud cracking sound and a large, ominous form appeared before her, sending her skidding to a stop but at the speed she was going the brakes she put on her feet weren't quick enough and she slammed into the figure's rock-hard chest.
Sirius's arms shot up from his sides and caught the woman before she fell back. His patience over his hostage was starting to wear thin. She was making things harder for her than it actually was. All he wanted was her wand and the assurance that he wouldn't be blasted off to oblivious by a simple death curse as soon as his back was turned. Grabbing the woman by her arms, Sirius held her at arm's length. Dawn was breaking behind him, casting an eerie dark blue light into the cave, his vision giving way to the frightened look on the woman's face.
You're a fool, Black, he thought to himself, guilt creeping up on him like an unwanted companion. He didn't want to take a hostage with him, but he was cornered at the shop. There was no where for him to go but in. He knew Snape recognized him, why else would that slimy git be walking towards where he sat outside the shop with such determination? He needed to get away, but he didn't want to risk being seen going to the cave he used as a hiding place while staying at Hogsmeade to keep a close eye on his godson during the Triwizard tournament. He needed the woman to create diversion, or so was the plan he formulated in his mind; but the damn plan backfired and he was forced to apparate both himself and the woman some place else.
They apparated in London first. Sirius figured if they were being followed or traced he could scramble whatever tracking device the Ministry were using before apparating back to the cave he used. The woman was an excess burden and she was right; he could've left her in London and went on his way, only he didn't and now he was stuck with her.
He didn't know what it was that made him single her out of the dozen or so people inside the shop. There was an elderly woman with jet-black hair and olive skin standing beside his chosen victim. "...and almost gave my mother a heart attack!" He remembered the words she yelled at him earlier. The elderly woman did look a bit like her; same dark hair, same facial and eyes shape; the only difference was the elderly woman's skin colour was more tanned, darker, than the woman he had with him now. Why didn't he pick the elderly woman instead of this one? He doubt his captive's mother would've given him this much trouble.
"Quit trying to escape, my sweet you're only wasting your time," he warned sounding bored.
"Je ne suis pas votre doux," she growled, twisting her arms free of his grip.
Sirius chuckled. Letting go of one arm, he ran the back of his fingers against his frightened captive's cheek. "Give it up, love, even with your wand as a weapon you won't be able to escape so just hand over the wand and be a nice girl and go back to where you were earlier."
Smack! The sound of flesh hitting flesh reverberated inside the cave. The young woman's free hand swung up and the palm of her open hand connected with Sirius's cheek.
"I hate you," she replied in disgust.
"Hate me all you want, sweetheart, I don't give a damn," Sirius answered levelly.
The sun was already glaring its bright light outside the cave. Buckbeak was growing restless as was his handler. Sirius knew they had to leave the vicinity of Hogsmeade soon. It won't be long before the Ministry people comb every nook and cranny of the small village near Hogwarts. His young captive was back on her corner of the cave, her legs bent to her chest and quietly sobbing. She handed over her wand to him eventually after a few more threats. Sirius knew him guarding the woman's wand wouldn't be wise; she'd eventually think of a way to steal it from him. So he made the decision and placed the wand on the rock behind Buckbeak; he doubt the young witch would be bold enough to go against a Hippogriff.
He hated keeping someone hostage. The one time he took a hostage it was to lure out an old enemy. He felt guilty for having to drag Ron Weasley, his godson's best friend, on the ground and towards the Whomping Willow tree the year before, but he needed to lure Wormtail out and kill him once and for all. But Harry, bless his soul, wouldn't want him or Remus, a former Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts before Snape's jealousy over the botched attempt to be rid of him, Sirius Black, made him rat out Remus's true identity to his students, commit murder. Now he needed another hostage, and the woman has served her purpose, but she also knew where he was hiding. He wanted to be certain before he set her free (and he will set her free eventually) that she wouldn't run to the nearest Ministry official and tell them exactly where to find him and what he was traveling with.
"Our supply of food is running low," Sirius mentioned to the Hippogriff, his voice loud enough for the woman to hear.
Buckbeak shook its massive head and ruffled its feathers in reply. Sirius chuckled and continued petting it, talking to the animal while keeping a watchful eye on the woman who has been sitting quietly on the corner for almost eight hours now. Lowering his voice, he meet Buckbeak's gaze and asked, "Do you think I should've been more nicer to her? I was rather mean to her earlier," he admitted.
Buckbeak stared at his handler intently, its large orange eyes conveying an unspoken accusation. Sirius frowned. He understood what the Hippogriff was telling him.
"It wasn't my fault she was stubborn! I would've set her free sooner if only she'd been more cooperative," he explained.
Buckbeak rolled his large eyes and shook his head once more. Sirius was surprised at the Hippogriff's reaction. The blasted creature didn't believe him! Affronted, Sirius straightened up and stared down at the snobbish Hippogriff.
"Fine, you don't believe me? I'll prove to you you're wrong," he turned his back on the creature and looked at his hostage. She was watching him talk to Buckbeak, but as soon as he looked at her she averted her gaze and pretended to find something interesting on the wall beside her. Sirius smirked. Defiant to the end. "What's your name?" he asked the woman. Although he wasn't expecting her to give him an answer, he at least expected her to give him some indication that she heard him. When she did neither Sirius was challenged. So, you want to play it that way, he mused.
Racking his brain, he tried to remember what little French he can remember from his numerous visits to France in his youth. He loved the sound of the language and was dead-set on learning it in order to win some charming Beauxbottom lass's attention and affection if he were lucky.
"Comment vous applez-vous?" his French was a bit rusty, after all it had been years since he last spoke the language, but he figured he didn't do too bad his first try in so many years.
She gave an unlady-like snort and kept her gaze averted.
Sirius wasn't used to this kind of response from women. When he put on the charm he almost always got the response he needed. But with this woman...she was as stubborn as he was! He hasn't met anyone who matched his stubbornness, until now, and until this woman came along. He tried one last time and asked her for her name, when she remained mute Sirius gave up and announced to no one in particular he was going.
He turned his back towards the woman and began his transformation to his animagus form. A shocked shriek caught his attention and Sirius, now fully transformed to a bear-like black dog, looked behind him and saw the woman stared wide-eyed at him cowering against the side of the wall. So, he still had a few tricks up his sleeves that could shock this woman. Letting out a gleeful bark, the dog ran out of the cave and on to the busy world outside in search of food. Now he had to think of three mouths to feed instead of two, and he had no clue what his unwanted guest fancied eating.
"What do you mean she can't be found?! Where the hell are they? How sure are you that he hasn't harmed my niece as we speak?" Lucius Malfoy was livid with repressed anger, piercing a hole right through the Minister of Magic's skull with his gray eyes it took every ounce of his self-restraint to keep him from strangling the man seated behind the Minister's desk.
"We're doing our best, Lucius. We are scouring every nook and cranny of Hogsmeade, he couldn't have gone that far. And our sources in London said they saw a man and a woman apparated there moments after the chaos at Hogsmeade ensued, but the pair didn't linger long and disapparated before they were reprimanded by our undercover Ministry officials," Cornelius Fudge assured his hot-tempered guest.
Lucius snarled at the Minister's poor excuse. Pacing like a caged animal before the Minister he kept a firm grip on his cane that hid his wand. This couldn't be happening. He told them not to wander off to Hogsmeade or anywhere else until the Triwizard Tournament was over, but did they listen? No. Instead his headstrong niece coerced her mother and they went to Hogsmeade together, unchaperoned and without letting anybody know where they were going. That was very careless for his niece's part, and she should've known better by now.
"Don't worry, Lucius. We will find her in due time," assured the bedraggled Minister.
Lucius stopped his pacing and pierced the man before him with another searing glare, "She'd better be found in due time, and I want the Kiss performed on Black immediately after capture," he snarled then stalked out of the Minister's office, his dark robe billowing with each hasty step.
Cornelius Fudge fell back in his seat, letting out a breath of relief, but his face betrayed the authority he commanded. He looked haggard and harassed. The kidnapping of Lucius Malfoy's niece by the notorious Sirius Black put a damper on what was supposed to be a spectacular occasion this school year at Hogwarts; the Triwizard Tournament was reinstated after years of keeping it locked up. Was the kidnapping of a prominent family member the only ominous thing to expect? By Merlin Cornelius hoped so!
The black dog returned back to the cave he used as a hideout with a brown paper bag held between his teeth. He stopped at the mouth of the cave and did a quick survey of the place. Something was amiss. Quickly he transformed back to his human form and took the bag from his mouth. Taking a few quick long strides Sirius found himself in the heart of the cave where he left the scared woman and Buckbeak. He let out a curse that could've made his mother and grandmother's ears turn red.
The woman and Buckbeak were gone. Gone! He had a feeling his prisoner would find a way to escape while he was out looking for food, and he banked on her fleeing as well, but never in his wildest dream did he think she'd manage to charm the finicky Hippogriff!
Dropping the brown paper bag on the floor, he spun around and went back to the mouth of the cave, carefully poking his head out and looked up at the sky in the hopes of finding the Hippogriff flying overhead. But alas, he found none. Returning back to the heart of the cave, he picked up the paper bag he dropped and sat on the corner. He fished for something to eat inside the bag all the while contemplating about his fate.
Where could she be? He wasn't gone that long. Only an hour if his guess was correct. Buckbeak was left with strict orders to not let the woman charm him in any which way, but did the Hippogriff listened? No! Bloody hell no. Now he was left with no means of fast transportation, a woman who knew where to find him, and the Minister hot on his tails again, but this time he knew they'd be so hard-pressed to seeing him rot in Azkaban, or worse, be given the dreadful Dementor's Kiss once he was captured.
"What a mess," Sirius said out loud and leaned his head against the cave's hard wall.
to be continued...
Katze: All the information will be explained as the story progress. The second chapter picked up during the 4th book, but like what I said, I'll be explaining that in future chapters. This is a somewhat WIP fic, so updates might take a while.
hasapi: I was leaning more on making it Fudge when I started the fic, but after a few days of leaving this chapter while I tried to figure out where to take this fic, the idea of using Malfoy made more sense here. Well, in my mind anyway. winks